- Last OnlineFeb 2, 6:39 PM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayJan 13, 1993
- LocationMichigan
- JoinedJun 27, 2012
Also Available at
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jan 2, 2026
This is Gundam: Mission to the Rise, and it’s lame. It’s a two-minute CG short of mediocre animation quality where generic Gundams and Zakus duke it out. During the skirmish, a black hole appears. A newly-seen machine from each side intentionally venture into the black hole, resulting in a Federation Mobile Suit transforming into a completely new MS that’s only on screen for about two seconds.
According to the Gundam Fandom wiki, this short was created for Gundam‘s 20th Anniversary event and “originally screened on August 1, 1998 along with the Steam Boy DVD at the event with tickets bought in advance.” But… Steamboy debuted in
...
theaters six years later? This syntax doesn’t make any sense, unless they meant to imply Mission to the Rise is a bonus feature on the Steamboy DVD release. Remember, folks: there’s always a need for professional writers.
I don’t really understand these little CG shorts Sunrise routinely makes for anniversary events. Little “expedition” features are nothing unusual and can be quite fun, but I think even within that scope, their attempts could be more meaningful. It should be clear what they’re celebrating, at the very least. Mobile Suit designs and space battles? Sure, those are cool, but Gundam originally stood out for its dramatic storyline. Why not recreate a pivotal scene in deference to that fact, instead of random standalone shorts with the vaguest of themes that will likely never be referenced again?
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Dec 31, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
While organizing my unpublished notes, I came across a near-serviceable review of War in the Pocket I'd written after my first watch of it on July 29, 2015 2:07 pm EST. My editing evolved into a full-on rewrite, despite the fact I haven't seen this series since that date. I've recently been playing Super Robot Wars GC, which adapts War in the Pocket, so perhaps I've been in the mood to reminisce. I hope you enjoy this relatively modest review. I may expand it if I ever get around
...
to a rewatch.
Though Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (WitP) is one of the better Gundam entries, I do disagree with people insisting it's a good starting point. What makes 0080 exceptional are the things that set it apart from the broader franchise, namely it's smaller-scale conflict, emphasis on human relationships and drama over action and plot, and surprisingly hefty themes and emotional consequences. Gundam 0080 defines the idea of a work with mecha in it that isn't about mecha.
Depending on who you are, that could be to its detriment. Personally, I think mechs are cool as hell, but I don't need a show constantly reminding me of their existence. I generally prefer mechs being brought in as proxies for battles between their pilots; a way to plausibly express heightened power levels relative to the blatantly supernatural abilities of typical "battle shonen" anime.
Action for the sake of action is almost always an appeal lost on me; it has to be a backdrop for storytelling and characterization. The practically (literally?) studio-mandated one action scene per episode of something like Zeta Gundam is not only structurally repetitive, but it cheapens what the mechs symbolize in its overuse of them.
Still, I can empathize with the true-blue gearheads of the mecha community who like discussing the tech and hearing the machines whirr to life every time. If you're here for the mechanical side of things, 0080 has relatively little to offer. If you're more like me, where the mechs are stylistic gravy, this OVA may be what you're looking for.
There's also something to be said for just how far 0080 goes in downplaying its mechs, which is to the point that one must wonder what they contribute to the story. Mobile Suits in 0080 are mostly only talked about, and it's done so in a cold, utilitarian fashion. Consider the mechs in 0080 being swapped out for any other military technology, namely real-world tech. What would have to be changed to accommodate that?
From what I can tell, almost nothing would. The OVA has a major theme of the disconnect between media's portrayal of war and the reality of it, which is represented by children viewing the Mobile Suits as vehicles for toys. The meta aspect of that is amusing—franchise pioneer Yoshiyuki Tomino often had to battle the animation studio to prioritize storytelling over pushing real-life toys and models. But, that parallel already exists in reality. War toys such as fake guns and the like have been a part of worldwide culture since... I dunno, the age of toy swords? And modern criticism of normalizing their intrinsically violent inspiration has long predated 0080.
I don't intend for this to read as me saying 0080 is devalued because its subject matter is familiar. It's a topic as worthwhile to discuss today as it was in 1989 and always will be. Rather, the writers chose to make a mecha series, so the mechs ought to be inseparable to it, right? At least, ideally. In the wake of many narrative works of art condemning war for the tragedies it brings in 0080, the mechs are the most unique concept in it, so it would behoove it to take advantage of that. As mentioned earlier, I think the best use of mechs has them become personifications of their pilot's soul; they're an extension of them. But establishing that connection requires both the mech and characters to have a heightened, sentimental focus.
There's one element of 0080's story that I recall being particular to Mobile Suits, which is that it's plot-critical on at least one instance for a combatant to not know their enemy's identity. If they were infantry with guns or other handheld weapons, that would require completely restaging the scene, at the very least. However, it could be substituted with something like tanks. Then again, if mechs were used purely to make the battle scenes more dynamic and faster-paced than they would be with tanks, is that not justification enough for their inclusion? Maybe it is. If the action is going to be there regardless, it should be compelling, and the creators have the license to use preexisting mechs.
Stepping away somewhat to isolate some other aspects of 0080, I want to credit it for its emotional intelligence. I think War in the Pocket, more than anything else, is known for being "the really sad one." But it does earn its big emotional gut punch. I won't go into exactly what I'm referring to, because there's zero ambiguity to anyone who's actually seen the show, so I may as well sidestep spoiler content.
Character bonding in Gundam 0080 is tender yet realistically ambivalent and harsh when warranted. I never once felt that I was being emotionally manipulated into a tragic twist, partially because danger and significant mistakes persist throughout the story. There's no predicting which unfortunate scenario will be where the other shoe drops. I did find Al to be a little annoying at times, but that's probably my innate bias against kids being shoehorned into some Gundam series (it's completely justified in this one, mind). All things considered, Al is probably more rational than most adult Gundam characters.
If I can be more bluntly critical, I think the music of War in the Pocket is kind of... bad? The composer is Tetsurō Kashibuchi, who I looked into expecting to have been a fan of something he's worked on that I could use to temper my harshness. However, I didn't recognize a damn thing other than WitP. He's almost exclusively a composer for Japanese live-action films. The most recognizable title he's worked on besides WitP is the 2000 movie adaptation of Junji Ito's horror manga Spiral, AKA Uzumaki. To this day, said movie is hotly debated between people who think it's "terrible" and those who think it's "not that bad."
Kashibuchi's one other anime work is the 1991 OVA Psychic Wars. What a beautifully vague, perfectly generic title for the era. While I love OVAs, this one has escaped my knowledge.
Let's see... according to Wikipedia, Psychic Wars has... "generally negative reviews." Okay, then. Why does this even have a Wikipedia entry? Whatever. It's not my server. If I ever become deranged enough to pursue my goal of watching every pre-2008 OVA, I'll be sure to let all of you know how Psychic Wars was not worth my time.
Enough of that. I don't have in-depth criticisms of WitP's music. I mainly find the general sound of it to be horrific. This 1989 OVA's synthesizers sound like they came from the goddamn '70s. Everything is so harsh, bleating, and grating. It's synthesizers dragged across a chalkboard. It could serve as a psy-op to make people hate '80s music.
I don't have much better to say about the compositions themselves. The OP doesn't land for me, despite Gundam's theme music around this time generally being stellar. Overall, I'd say the score sounds trite or saccharine. Everything is far too bright and happy, and the lack of variety robs the score of any emotional depth.
In my opinion, the music is easily the worst part of War in the Pocket. It'd be one thing if it was listless and forgettable, but it's abrasive to the point of dragging the quality of its accompanying content down. I'd be interested if Sunrise included an alternate score in some future rerelease alongside the original one. It's that detrimental. What a strange area for this otherwise high-quality OVA to go wrong on. Maybe it's just me?
A devil's advocate might argue that the music's aggressively twee and quaint style is satirical given the themes of Gundam 0080. I don't think that's impossible, but there's not enough subtextual evidence for me to believe that. By and large, I wouldn't characterize WitP as satirical. There's social commentary in it, for sure, but the work as a whole isn't self-referential and subversive in ways I associate with satire. If that was the team's creative vision, it ought to be present in areas other than the music, and I just don't see it. If Kashibuchi is known for making "ironic" OSTs, that'd be something, but I'm not familiar enough with his work to make any claim there.
Returning to War in the Pocket's uncharacteristic disinterest in its mechs, it's possible that there's a virtue in it specifically being a one-off, anomalous Gundam entry. In a franchise so thematically concerned with individualistic, wish-fulfillment, savior fantasies, War in the Pocket has permanently affixed one work every hardcore fan will almost inevitably encounter.
When they do, they'll receive a harsh reminder that there's no true reality where Gundam would be something inconsequential and fun. As a wise philosopher once said, "people die when they are killed." The link between war and death can be pushed to the back of one's mind, but it can never be separated. Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket now forever exists to wag its finger, however temporary, at any viewer exclusively looking for the escapism of Gundam's self-blinding naivete. It's important for everyone to take their heads out of the clouds sometimes, even if it's against their will.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 25, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written: August 28, 2016 6:16 pm EST
---
I somehow hadn’t heard about this movie until rather recently. Well, I guess technically, I saw at least part of it. I watched Digimon: The Movie as a kid, after all. I remember it confusing the fuck out of me and absolutely nothing else. I might as well have never watched it, considering my retained knowledge. For a 20-minute short film, this is actually pretty good—even putting its brand aside.
A baby Digimon comes through the family’s computer, and little boy Tai and his
...
toddler sister Hikari wonder what to do with it. The first half is devoted to this set-up, with the monster causing mischief for the kids. Though light on dialogue, Tai is hesitant and critical of the problems the creature is causing but warms to it, and Hikari is an instant fan. Baby Hikari was my favorite thing about the movie, her naive fascination with the Digimon is super cute and she communicates almost exclusively through a whistle she carries with her.
The Digimon eventually grows to be too big for the house, and Tai and Hikari escape with it in the night as it battles another giant Digimon in the form of a Kaiju fight. The backdrop of a city makes this influence feel pretty genuine, and the movements of the large monsters are slow with a fair amount of physical brawling and city destruction. It’s a bit different in tone from what I remember of the Digimon Adventure series, which was more akin to Pokémon between trading off named attacks from a distance.
The music is the weakest part of the movie, featuring basically one theme that’s reused repeatedly regardless of context. It’s an uplifting orchestral piece that captures the scale and feeling of awe of the Digimon, but it doesn’t evolve in tone unlike the movie’s progression from cute comedy to action, so the development could’ve been a little better there.
That aside, the story told feels perfectly complete here and fits in a balanced, standard three-act structure with more serious tonal escalation to keep momentum going. I love the painted backgrounds but I wouldn’t sell this for its animation quality although it justifies the distinction of being a movie. It’s just slick all around, and a bit of an outlier regarding its slower, more minimal direction among the usual Digimon franchise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 22, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written August 23, 2016 2:15 am EST
---
Fuck me. It happened. I teared up. It was at the exact moment I knew it would happen, when the song “Do You Remember Love?” climaxed this special. This is a half-hour music video of Minmay’s songs accompanying footage of the series and movie, alongside some original animation.
Minmay is performing her final concert to commemorate the departure of Misa Hayase’s ship, the Megaroad-01. This is as glorious a recap special could be, a bittersweet reminiscing over the lost romances and partings of Macross.
...
I love the music, and it runs through the emotional gambit of the show, albeit not entirely.
The imagery focuses a little too much on the romance at points and misses some other emotional beats, but for the most part, the accompanying video is perfectly in sync with the songs. There’s occasionally strange editing choices, like a grunt’s face being blasted off during a love song because a taken scene went on too long. Also, some spoken audio can be a bit out of place, but they’re rarities in what’s overall a great execution of its concept. As a huge Macross fan, I feel like I could’ve mixed it all to be even better, but oh well. The absence of “My Boyfriend Is a Pilot” is also bizarre.
“An Angel’s Paints” opens and closes the OVA as Minmay waves a fond farewell to Hikaru and Misa, the song expressing how she can face her sullen heartbreak with the colors of her music. She’s finally free, and now that she can say goodbye to everything that happened aboard the Macross, so can we. The seemingly-destined love between Hikaru and Minmay grew inverse of each other, just passing each other by, and at last, they’re both out of sight.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 22, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written July 30, 2014 5:23 pm EST
---
I didn't want to believe it, but the consensus is right on this one: Macross II is mediocre.
Given its lackluster reception, I was actually surprised that this really does feel like a genuine Macross entry. We can even give it credit for being the first sequel and therefore solidifying the themes that run through the franchise: mechs, music, and romance. However, unlike future installments, it doesn't take these elements to new places.
The plot's conflict and resolution is almost exactly the same as the
...
original series. A new alien race has shown up, and when offense and singing proves ineffective, there's only two options left: offense and singing. In other words, the resolution is dumb, doesn't make much sense, and is anticlimactic in its unoriginality.
The romance progresses predictably save for one part near the end. The problem is that unlike the original Macross, Hibiki doesn't have Hikaru's charming, innocent naivete. We also aren't given time to see his relationship grow, like we do with Hikaru and Minmay. There's no enticing mystery about whether these two feel the same way towards each other, because it never crosses the mind that they don't. All throughout Macross II, it feels like there's only one possible way it can conclude.
The least-recycled part of the premise is Hibiki's career as a journalist, which is unsurprisingly its best aspect. But there isn't enough time to focus on this side hustle, so outside of the exposition, this and any themes regarding media censorship play a trivial role. It's interesting how Hikaru's perspective is of one kid in the middle of huge events he has little control over; it makes him relatable. Hibiki feels like someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
The Variable Fighters are exactly the same as they were in the first Macross. When a new unique machine named the Metal Siren appears that's revealed to be a two-seater, I was hoping and expecting it would be piloted by Hibiki as Ishtar sits in the back and uses her power of song in some way. Cool right? Doesn't happen. It's just a high performance regular VF that plays no significant role in the story.
The combat sequences themselves are all right, the colors are so dark due to the age of this thing that at times I couldn't really tell what was going on. But without any reason to care about the enemy or pilots (since there's only three characters that matter and one of them you barely see fight), these combat sequences seem like fluffy fanservice for the mecha crowd.
Oh yeah, and the music. The score is a bleating mess of horns and synthesizers that couldn't sound more low-budget or stock. The pop songs are… okay. But they're pretty damn far from the memorability of "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" or Firebomber's songs.
There's nothing about Macross II that's offensively bad. It's just boring at worst, and mildly interesting at best. I could like it more if 20 minutes were shaved off the runtime's last quarter. I don't particularly recommend it.
Macross II is average for an OVA, and probably below-average for Macross. Still, there's much worse things an anime could be than an average '90s OVA. If you're really into that style like I am, this could be good enough entertainment for an afternoon.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written June 9, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Engaging enough to be worth its two-volume length, considering I'm a fan of the author, Shuzo Oshimi. That being said, I barely got anything out of Yuutai Nova. There's something of interest here with its subject matter—I can't say I'm familiar with another work of fiction centered entirely around the concept of astral projection. However, the desire to tell a relatable character drama at its center in such a scant amount of pages virtually guarantees neither the themes nor character development will be
...
fulfilling on their own.
I like some of the ideas it briefly touches on. The story takes a very pragmatic perspective on what a lonely college male would do with such a power, obviously resulting in voyeurism; perverted or otherwise. There's potential here in the contrast of being able to tear down the walls of anyone's privacy without consent by visiting them as a ghost, yet still only being able to observe a second, static layer of them. Being able to meld one's spirit form with another in order to share minds and gain a deeper understanding is another storytelling device with potential..
There's something there with whether the things someone protects with their privacy are worth it, and the possible beauty of pure openness. Shuzo Oshimi is generally skilled at exploring human weaknesses, but all of these things are merely lightly touched upon. No complex philosophies are explored, just suggested, and the work doesn't make a statement on much of anything.
When it comes to being able to illicit a raw, emotional response, the manga also doesn't deliver, considering its sudden conclusion that doesn't completely resolve character arcs and backgrounds. We know very little about what has changed in our characters from the beginning of the story, and that's a shame.
The art's pretty decent. The details aren't as finely-trimmed as something like Flowers of Evil, but there's more diversity in character designs from being less concerned with realism. The city and street backgrounds are, as always from Oshimi, stunning. I have to assume he traces over photographs—or maybe he really is that good?
For a story about astral projection, Yuutai Nova struggles to get its own feet off the ground—so much so that it was prematurely pulled from serialization.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written July 2, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Waltz probably would've made for a really good, longer story. I find the premise to be brilliant. Onaga, an ordinary, dissatisfied girl meets Kawashibara, a young man secretly wishing to be a woman. The two form a relationship where Onaga gives Kawashibara makeovers to bring their dream closer to reality. It is, potentially, a story of someone who can only be free being something society suggests they're not "meant" to be, and someone who can only find meaning in their life by letting
...
someone else become the beautiful, extraordinary person they can't see in themselves.
It's a concept that could lead to an incredible, deep relationship dynamic, but we only get a light touch of it in this 40 page one-shot. Nevertheless, Waltz tries to tell a story bigger than the space it's allowed, and events and character developments blur by without sufficient justification. We don't see the finer details of how the duo's relationship develops, but only stopgaps between them meeting and the beginning of their makeover sessions.
This limitation becomes especially awkward when another (male) classmate enters the scene, and we're never made clear of whether both leads are attracted to him, possibly have a falling out over him, or what. Onaga's violent reaction to Kawashibara admitting she wants to be seen as pretty by this new classmate demands further explanation to make any satisfying sense given their deep bond, and it's also necessary to understand the story's resolution.
There aren't enough details to make a case for the second-to-last scene in any specific way, and the emotional catharsis is pulled out from under the story because of it. Waltz successfully grabbed me until the story was practically over anyway, but it remains only a tease of what could've been a fantastic story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written November 18, 2020 6:56 pm EST
---
I love Junji Ito, but I don't think Venus in the Blind Spot is great. This strange collection gathers stories from throughout his history into one incohesive package, as is often the case with Ito. Maybe in 2040, we'll finally get English publications of his work in chronological order instead of this headache-inducing, scavenger hunt crap.
So, I wanted to read the stories I had never come across before in English. To my knowledge, these were:
Venus in the Blind Spot
Master Umezz and Me
How Love
...
Came to Professor Kirida
Keepsake
An Unearthly Love
Two classics are reprinted here: The Enigma of Amigara Fault and Billions Alone. I won't argue against the status of these two, but because they have been around for so long, I didn't factor them into my overall rating of this collection.
Still, this compilation has a professional English translation, which is always appreciated, even if it keeps the infamously stupid "drrr drrr drrr" sound effects in Amigara Fault. I assume this was done for legacy meme value rather than accuracy, which is always a detraction in my scorebook. By and large, the official scripts read fluidly, and the high-quality digital scans are a delight to see.
Additionally, there's quite a generous amount of color pages spread throughout the book. They're quite good, too, for what they are. These typically cover the first six or so pages, but will occasionally, suddenly appear to color iconic panels. I've personally never found partial coloring jobs to be much of a selling point, but at least they did a good job.
Where this shines, however, is a series of full-page artworks at the end of the collection. These were meant to be viewed in full-color and typically aren't encountered by western readers, so it's nice to see them made accessible. These artworks range from standalone pieces to promotional artwork for unfeatured works such as Uzumaki and No Longer Human. Kind of cool.
The "new" stories, though? Eh. Ehhhhhh. If these actually aren't recent, or have been in English before, then it's no wonder I either don't remember them. Hell, I barely even feel like talking about them. But I will, because I'm a true professional.
Venus in the Blind Spot
Despite being the titular story, this is probably the worst. I took away nothing from the concept or plot, and this failed to capture any of my anxieties. It has novelty value for being one of the surprisingly few Ito stories to involve aliens, but even that subject isn't explored. The "horror" is too rationalized, and the consequences of it feel mild and without meaning.
Master Umezz and Me
Autobiographical Ito stories are always fun, as the author has quite an amusing, self-deprecating sense of humor that contrasts with his fiction's severity. This is no exception. Beyond these humorous depictions of himself, this story is mostly Ito fellating a fellow, inspirational manga author. It did make me want to check out his work, so Ito likely accomplished one of his goals with writing this. However, this is neither a serious biography of their work nor a super interesting life story, so it ends up compromised and of middling interest.
How Love Came to Professor Kirida
This is another one of Ito's literature adaptations. His artwork's attention to realistic detail, where the macabre and graceful are depicted with equal power, always comes to its greatest fruition when Ito is adapting heavily contemplative, literary material. This story is elevated by those qualities, but I feel the source material is not up to the quality of Frankenstein or No Longer Human. The drama is captivating, but I feel the story is too brief to capture any thematic depth. There's not really any moral ambiguity here; just ironic twists of fate.
Keepsake
Probably the most traditionally "scary" of these stories, due to it having the best examples of Ito's one-page stingers; the uncomfortable imagery that readers associate with him. Broadly, the tale is a standard revenge story where a character is punished for their transgressions. I consider it to the best of the "new" stories in Venus in the Blind Spot, but still only decent by Ito's standards.
An Unearthly Love
I felt the mystery of this one was engaging enough, but the reveal was weak, and it had no psychological implications about the paper-thin character associated with it. This is about as milquetoast as an Ito story can get without being outright "bad."
Well, there you go. Of those stories, I don't particularly recommend any of them. You've probably already read the best stories in here, which were ones I didn't cover. Have a nice day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site with more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written July 2, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Being a fan of Oshimi, I find Shino Can't Say Her Name outlier among his work. Oshimi has defined himself as an author who deals with sexual psychology, particularly that related to the trials of adolescence. Yet, the perverse is blatantly absent from this high school drama.
Which isn't to say I found it too generic. On the other hand, I found Shino's stuttering and the way it was handled to be quite well done, and I was instantly charmed by her awkwardness. It's
...
portrayed as a genuine disability rather than a temporary psychological hang-up, and the story appropriately addresses the difficulties in communication and mockery from your peers you would expect from this handicap.
Hip, alternative schoolmate Kayo provides a nice foil to Shino with her outspokenness and also lack of ability to connect with her peers, in this case from her odd interests. She also runs parallel to Shino with her own speaking problem, in that she's a musician who's vocally tone deaf.
If there's an aspect of this I didn't like so much, it's the direction of the story after Kikuchi appears. I don't necessarily think a character's romantic interest in another needs a lot of time to build, as we've all experienced crushes, for instance. I do think it needs heavier justification when it's used as a major plot device and source of tension between Shino and her friends.
Given Shino's loneliness and social inexperience at her age, it's not too hard to believe she'd develop an instinctual affection for Kikuchi despite his teasing of her earlier, but it is somewhat difficult to accept she'd end her relationship with Kayo over it in such a harsh manner to avoid being caught in a love triangle. It's also debatable whether or not she cut ties off so sharply because she wanted to let Kayo have Kikuchi, though I personally don't believe that was her motivation.
The climax of the story is touching and cathartic, if predictable. I would've liked to see more confirmation that Shino was still struggling with her disability as an adult rather than it coming across as it being nearly "cured," but her improvement is still believable and satisfying. This story hooked me from the beginning with its likable characters. Because Shino was handicapped compared to her peers, it immediately established her character as an underdog, and have her an end goal to work towards. It's cute, and its pace is brisk. I would've gladly read an entire multi-volume series of this had it kept up the same level of quality.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 8, 2025
(Check my profile for a link to my personal site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!)
Written June 17, 2018 12:00 am EST
---
Exactly what it says on the tin. Like Seeds of Anxiety? You will like this. Perhaps not as much though, such as in my case. Seeds of Anxiety always had a lofty concept, but it seemed unlikely the author could carry it being the original series’ run. This superfluous sequel basically confirmed that, being derivative of story structures in the first series without evolving the material in any way.
If anything, the initial goal to explore irrational fears and fantasies has waned this time
...
around. The preludes to each section make less sense than before in their attempts to tie certain stories together thematically (though most in this series were unreadable because they were lazily left untranslated). The biggest change here is the infrequent attempts at longer stories. Typically, these still only last two or three additional chapters and don’t offer definitive conclusions like usual, but the sentiment is still nice to see. Your curiosity regarding certain tales is occasionally taken a little further.
Anyway, this is fine horror reading. Less bite all around than the first series: increasingly repetitive, weaker creature designs, and a decreasing lack of relevance to the core concept of Seeds of Anxiety. But despite all of that, Seeds of Anxiety+ has enough creepy moments for J-horror fans.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
